Passion for Paraguay

Looking back, these have been the longest two years of my life. On the day of the accident we got up early, like many other mornings before taking a long distance trip. We got in the car, said a short prayer and got on the road. It was a normal start to our day. An in that normal day, everything was about to change. A little over one hour into our trip, on April 18th, 2012, the accident happened. Everything changed dramatically since. The first months were mere survival, struggling between getting up in the morning, asking hundreds of questions, working out all the legal aspects of the accident, and trying to do the job of two. Some days getting thru the next hour seemed overwhelming. Two years have passed since that dark morning. This week I have given myself some space and intentional time to process another layer of what happened. My hope is to bring more closure and healing. I am writing goodbye letters addressing areas that I felt needed closure. I am writing out excerp...

I woke up exactly at 5 am on Friday April 11 th . I go to my office and write this. It was so unique, since I was not planning to be up this early. But I was so awake and ready to get up that I just got started with my day. Usually I sleep until 6 or 7 AM. I realized I woke up at exactly the time the accident happened, one week before the second anniversary. It’s almost like I sense Julie and Timothy saying to me, we are with you and want to walk by your side during this week in a special way Over the past months I have felt the need to stop everything. I have intentionally taken time off to pray, think, grieve, cry, journal, reflect and pause. I have sensed an increasing need to pause this month. I have set aside, delegated and minimized all my responsibilities and duties. I believe this month will bring more healing to my soul and help me move forward. After getting up and having a wonderful time with the Lord, I decided to get up at 5 am every morning until April 18 th. ...

I spent last week with my Aunt Gisela in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She is one of my favorite aunts.  She has the gift of hospitality. Staying at Gisela's house is like being on a retreat, and it’s very easy to be spoiled by Gisela. She serves you tea in the morning and takes lunch orders at 9 a.m. She makes everything from scratch. She serves you by not only opening her home and making things for you, but also by giving you the gift of her time, which is a lost trait in many homes. She sits down and asks questions and is honestly interested in you as a person. I believe that good hosting includes an ingredient of personal involvement. I have become aware again of how often I overlooked this aspect as Julie and I hosted people in our home over the years. I think that the gift of personal time exceeds all possessions and services. I asked Gisela about her years of caring for my grandmother, Emily. Emily lived with Gisela from age 84 to 101. We agreed that my grandma's gr...

This morning I had a conversation with my cousin whom I have not seeing in years. He lives in the beautiful city of Buenos Aires, the cradle of tango. He took time from his busy schedule to talk. It was so neat to hear about his church plant in the city of Buenos Aires Argentina, and how after a crisis of faith around age forty, God brought out some of the most fruitful years of full time ministry. I find myself in some kind of a benchmark moment, believing there is something else (mission, ministry) out there for me in the years to come. I believe that God has so much to teach me. I am just scratching the surface. One thing I have been asking God, is to renew my joy to serve HIM. After reading Leading on Empty, by Wayne Cordero a few weeks ago, I realized too the importance of making some important schedule changes in the years to come, and continue for forge sound habits, that keep God, family and ministry-work in the right order.

I find myself in transition, closing chapters, and looking for direction for the future. I have felt the need to disconnect for two months from all ministries for a season of reflection as to what is next. Over the past year I have been gradually stepping down from various ministries I have been involved.  I realized that some ministries I will not be able to continue, while others I need to zoom in and focus more. Anahi is also a big player in these decisions, as well as the possibility of God restoring my family when the time and person are right. I have handed off ·         My leadership as interim pastor at the Obligado Church ·         My involvement in the monthly prayer breakfast. A local pastor is now in charge ·          My involvement in the Bible Training School ICCI, now Posadas    ·  Directing the small farm production of peanuts and ...

Leading on Empty I am almost finished reading Leading on Empty, by Wayne Cordero. In it, Cordero talks about a difficult season in his life when he hit the wall. The message in this book, in addition to wise counsel from friends, has encouraged me to make an intentional effort to stop. One of the recurring themes in my life over the past few years has been the idea of respecting the Sabbath. But I must admit that often, for extended seasons, our ministry over the past 12 years was done at an intense pace and with few or no breaks at all. Even with the best intentions, fully devoting our lives as missionaries can cause us to miss the point of God's plan for our lives. Over the past 23 months, I have thought a lot about the tasks and ministries that Julie performed as wife, mother, preacher, teacher, radio administrator, and pioneer of Children of Promise, a child sponsorship program, in Paraguay. I can attest that Julie was a very hard-working woman and someone who gav...

January 2014 - News from Norberto & Anahi Happy New Year, and thank you for standing by us throughout 2013. It was a growing year for me as a person, as well as a time of transition as I emerged from the deep grieving of 2012 into a more steady emotional state. I thank God for you and your prayers. Last January, I was still crying a lot and wondering how I would live another day without my Julie and Timothy. If I could, I would still change things and have my wife and son back with me. But over the past year I realized that God is in control—of our time, family, resources, talents—and we are but his managers. He has given me the strength to go on and to enjoy seeing Anahi grow into a beautiful little girl. Learning to manage the role of father-mother has been difficult, and I have gained a huge respect for single-parent families. I realize more how dependent we really are on God and our need to daily connect with his Word. Over this past year I have also been involve...